Petoskey Marching Band scores big Slideshow

Petoskey High School's marching band ended its 2007 season of competitions on a winning note Saturday, receiving the highest ratings from judges at two downstate band festivals.

The Marching Northmen placed first among the five bands from Class A schools Saturday at the Jenison Invitational. Petoskey also took the grand championship at the event, which was hosted by Jenison High School and drew marching bands from 24 schools altogether.

Later on Saturday, Petoskey's 236-member band took first place in its class at East Kentwood High School's East Kentwood Invitational. Four Class A schools participated in this festival.

Although East Kentwood didn't award a grand championship for the event, Petoskey band director Carl Brien noted that the band's overall score was the highest at the event.

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Judges scored bands based on musical effect, musical performance, visual effect and marching performance. Bands also were evaluated for percussion and color guard performance, though their scores in these areas didn't count toward the overall rating.

The Marching Northmen scored 95.4 overall at each of the festivals on Saturday. Brien, who's in his 32nd year as a band director at Petoskey, said this was "probably the highest score that I can remember that we've achieved."

"Our performance was excellent," he said. "It was very good. It would be a good way to end the season."

Petoskey earned grand championships at the two earlier competitions which were part of its 2007 season, in Cedar Springs on Oct. 6 and Grandville on Oct. 13.

Along with Brien, the Marching Northmen's directors include Barry Bennett and Jessica Turgeon. Jim Kan directs the color guard.

Though the marching band is done with competitions for 2007, it will appear along with other Petoskey school bands at a winter concert Dec. 6 in the Petoskey High School gymnasium.